NOVEL WEB
Chapter 30: Horney Is Weird...(3)
Eve Nirvana Yggdrasil stared blankly in the direction where the pink-haired boy had disappeared. Jonah. He was a peculiar boy in many ways.
Lemon and Apple had been neglected from a young age because they were the children of criminals. Naturally, they lacked the education and knowledge expected for their age, and they had no accumulated wealth or power whatsoever. Thats why Eve had taken them in, feeding them and teaching them various things
Anyway, Jonah had been unable to even resist against those two sisters about a year ago. However, yesterday, he completely demobilized a raider in a way that far surpassed Lemon and Apple in strength.
Even though humans are a species with quick growth, matching their short lifespans, his speed of development felt unmistakably abnormal.
Moreover, it had been just 8 coppers no, Jonah claimed that it was an amount critical to his life at the time. It seemed that he was gritting his teeth with vengeance after almost starving to death from an act that Lemon and Apple had committed without much thought, but when the twins were actually facing death, he saved them.
Emotions dont just disappear right away because the prices were paid. However, Jonah had truly forgotten all of his grudges the moment he received Lucky Strike. This was already surprising enough, but what was even more astonishing was his attitude towards Eve herself.
He hadnt spoken a single lie. Eve was well aware of herself. She knew that she had the appearance and habits that were prone to be misunderstood.
In the past, she actively took advantage of this, but after retiring, she started to find these traits cumbersome. Given such circumstances, Eve became accustomed to those who were wary of her.
Sometimes, there were people who acted friendly and kindly towards her but with the Eye of Truth, such pretenses were all too visible. Of course, she didnt think all lies were necessarily bad. After all, why would she concern herself over such matters after living for so long?
Basic manners, consideration to not hurt others, ingrained habits, and so on. Eve knew well that not all lies stemmed from malice.
However, it was precisely because Eve was such a person that she was all the more flustered by Jonahs sincere kindness. Jonah was not like Lemon or Apple, oblivious, clumsy, and unable to lie. If he wished, he could hide his expressions and emotions at any time. But he didnt.
Looking through the Eye of Truth, Jonah had always been sincere. I didnt know such a person could exist.
In reality, Jonah had been careful not to lie because he knew of Eves power. Although that had been because he had been an author who, in return for losing all social skills and personal relationships, had come to love the world they created and the characters within it
The Eye of Truth was a power that revealed intentional lies. It could not read specific thoughts, nor could it discern when someone was truly being deceived.
Not even Eve could have possibly known that Jonah was an author who planned to write a novel set in the Pan Continent, and she had been one of his characters. So, she could only think of Jonah as an honest person.
To her, having lived a thousand years No, precisely because she had lived so long, the boy felt all the more special. But this was merely a personal sentiment and nothing more than interest. Until a moment ago.
Huhu. To defeat the guardian of the first floor and obtain the power of the World Tree Thats a story Ive heard many times before. Of course, it was something that the elves had attempted over hundreds of years.
Although things had improved, the spiritual emptiness of the elves had been a much bigger problem than expected. It was so severe that elves, despite being a long-lived race, would often not live to the age of 100 years and would commit suicide.
Naturally, they struggled in every possible way to retrieve even a trace of the World Tree, which is why they placed Eve, the eldest daughter of the World Tree but still young, on the queens throne.
Even knowing that the World Tree on the first floor of the labyrinth was just a shadow spanning dimensions, a mere illusion, how could the elves of that time have ignored it? They flocked in droves, trying somehow to reclaim their past glory. There were even elves who actually lived on the first floor.
Of course, all these attempts had failed. The World Tree had died for none other than the elves, and this was a situation that could not be reversed by any means.
But when the adventurers who first entered the second floor encountered the existence known as the floor guardian, fought, and defeated it, embedding a part of the divine power into their bodies
The elves, who had half given up, went absolutely mad. Even if the World Tree was no longer with them, finding just a trace of it would be enough. The older elves would gain the strength to live by reminiscing about the past, and the younger elves would grow stronger, knowing their roots.
And if the one who obtained that power were a man then they would have him form a marital bond with the Queen, the eldest daughter of the World Tree. The child born to those who harbored the power of the World Tree would become a true leader, making the elves whole again!
Full of hope, the elves staked the fate of their race and invested everything to start investigating the first floor. And so, 800 years had passed.
The elves overcame their depression independently and embraced the belief that gold was supreme. Meanwhile, Eve, having left her spouses position vacant, became known as a historical spinster.
. Her temple still twitched with anger when she recalled those times, but she took a deep breath, deciding to let go of the bad memories and focus on the good ones. For instance the promise Jonah made at the end.
I didnt expect him to say such a thing at that moment. Despite risking their personal lives and the future of their race, no one truly believed in the plan to explore the first floor. They were filled with nothing but wishful thinking. But Jonah was different.
The young boy declared his goal with clear conviction, as natural as the sunrise in the morning and the moonrise at night. He would harness the power of the World Tree for Eve.
Jonah probably didnt grasp the full meaning of his words. How could a young boy born in this era be aware of lore from hundreds of years ago? After all, she had preserved her purity for the past 800 years as the woman who could lead one to a jackpot marriage.
And then, there was that last smile. Jonah had always maintained a cuteness appropriate for his age, along with the supposed alluring expression said to be a trademark of pinkettes. But it had been different during their final handshake.
His smile was proud and fierce, as if he intended to conquer the world. No, could that even be described as a smile? It was more akin to the growl of a wild beast.
A smile imbued with primal violence, ready to ruthlessly attack anyone who stood in his way to claim what he desired. Eve was overwhelmed by what was termed masculinity according to Earths standards.
It was the first time in a thousand years she had encountered the scent of a man.
Ahh With Lemon and Apple taken away by Jonah, the Eternal Mercantile Eden was left deserted.
Alone in the small, shabby space, clearly cut off from the outside world, Eves smile grew wider.
Huhuhu. A little moment wont hurt. Theres no urgent work waiting for me, anyway.
Eve stood up, locked the shop door, and draped thick curtains over the windows. She then measured the horn on the desk and fetched an adult toy of similar size from a shelf.
This place was a general store, offering a wide variety of items, including tools designed to alleviate the loneliness of solo adventurers. She had been thinking about removing them from the inventory due to poor sales
Even if its going to be removed, I should find out what the issue is. With that rationalization, Eve took the large model into her mouth.
Perhaps because she had guarded this place for so long, venturing below was somewhat intimidating and, more importantly, because Jonah had mentioned he preferred maidens.
Slip- The sound of fabric hitting the floor echoed.
It was only after Eve had climaxed twice, fantasizing about Jonahs rugged smile and his complaints about his horn acting up, that she was able to start working.
I admit I might have made too many empty promises, but I did manage to leave the unicorns horn with Eve practically for free. Now, all that was left was to wait leisurely but that didnt change the fact that I was still utterly broke.
I might scrape together a few coppers if I looked hard enough, but it was a sum too insignificant to satisfy my heart, now accustomed to the allure of silver.
So, now, were going to make some money. Lemon and Apple, practically dragged out here, exchanged glances. Then, they both tilted their heads in confusion.
Are we heading to the labyrinth again today?
Then, Ill go grab our gear and get ready.
No. Its not the labyrinth, but the labyrinth city where were making money today. And I need you two for efficient farming.
What does farming mean?
Ah, your tones returned to normal. Is that okay?
Of course, since its just us here. And farming well, youll know once we start.
The jobs difficulty changed drastically depending on whether you had partners. I narrowed my eyes and looked around. It was a neighborhood that was moderately developed, yet not too upscale.
There were quite a few adventurers roaming around, but at best, they were on a similar level as Lemon and Apple. In other words, it felt like the kind of neighborhood with just the right amount of unstable public order.
Theres bound to be one in places like this I focused my search around the alleyways. And before long, I found them.
A wild group of thugs appeared!
Go, Lemon! Apple! Pick a fight with them!
Youre revealing your true colors, I see!
From this moment on, this place is under our control!
Though they didnt understand the reason, the twin elves charged excitedly at my command. And as I watched the local thugs taken off guard by their vigor, I stretched my arms.
Crack- This cool yet heavy sensation.
Its been a while. Its time to return to pickpocketing, not being an adventurer.